Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival

The Festival is organized by the MSP Film Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit film exhibition organization that also operates The Main Cinema along the Mississippi River on historic Main Street across from downtown Minneapolis. Several other venues around the Twin Cities also participate in the film festival. In addition to film screenings, the festival also hosts a number of panels and discussions. Some of these panels relate to a specific film included within the festival lineup, with others pertaining to general industry topics. == History ==

In 2023, MSPIFF screened Cue the Strings: a Film about Low, a documentary about the Minnesota band Low directed by Twin Cities filmmaker Philip Harder. In 2024, two-time Academy Award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins, a frequent collaborator of Minnesota filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, attended MSPIFF and took part in an industry night event, book signing, and screening of Fargo followed by a Q&A. == Reception ==

In December 2014, the Film Society attracted national attention when it became one of the few distributors in the country to exhibit the controversial film The Interview after Sony Pictures reinstated the film's theatrical release after scrapping it amidst threats from hackers purportedly associated with the North Korean government. == Awards ==

Juried Competition Awards Emerging Filmaker Competition MSPIFF43 - 2024 • Winner: Girls Will Be Girls, dir. Shuchi Talati, India/France/USA/Norway, 2024 • Special Jury Award: Foremost by Night, dir. Victor Iriarte, Spain/Portugal/France, 2023 Documentary Competition MSPIFF43 - 2024 • Winner: Sugarcane, dir. Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie, Canada/USA, 2024 • Special Jury Award for Innovation: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, dir. Isaac Gale & Ryan Olson, USA, 2024 • Special Jury Award for Directing: Porcelain War, dir. Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev, Ukraine/USA/Australia, 2024 Animated Shorts Competition MSPIFF43 - 2024 • Winner: Tennis, Oranges, dir. Sean Pecknold, USA, 2024 • Honorable Mention: Bluebird in the Wind, dir. Ellis Kayin Chan, Hong Kong, 2023 Documentary Shorts Competition MSPIFF43 - 2024 • Winner: The Only Girl in the Orchestra, dir. Molly O'Brien, USA, 2023 • Special Jury Award: Through the Storm, dir. Fritz Bitsole & Charles Frank, USA, 2023 • Artistic Merit Award: Salone Love, dir. Tajana B Williams, USA/Sierra Leone, 2023 Fiction Shorts Competition MSPIFF43 - 2024'''''' • Winner: Muna, dir. Warda Mohamed, UK, 2023 • Honorable Mention: Layaway, dir. Kaitlyn T. Busbee, USA, 2023 Audience Choice Awards MSPIFF43 - 2024'''''' • Fiction Feature: Bonjour Switzerland, dir. Peter Luisi, Switzerland, 2023 • Documentary Feature: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, dir. Isaac Gale & Ryan Olson, USA, 2024 • Fiction Short: Mis-Alignment, dir. Pablo Riesgo Almonacid, USA, 2023 • Documentary Short: ''Uncle Bully's Surf Skool'', dir. Leah Warshowski, USA, 2023 • Animated Short: Luki and the Lights, dir. Toni Cochran, Netherlands, 2023 ==References==